Eight year old Mila was playing in her room, when she looked up at the picture of her papi and her mother. She had been wondering what happened to her, she knew her mami wasn't her real mom, she loved her, she just wanted to know more about her real mom.
"Sis, come on Lucy has got us a snack." Noah said turning toward the door.
"Noah?"
"Yes, hermana?"
"What happened to mami?"
Noah looked at her puzzled.
"What do you mean? Mom and papi are at work."
"Her." Mila pointed at the picture.
Noah looked, he knew who it was but thought Raf should tell her.
"Uh… I don't know."
"Do you remember anything?"
"I was just 5 and mami and I visited you and papi in the hospital, you were sick in a box crib thing, you and Papi were around a lot. That's all I remember."
"What about the chain and rings around papi's neck?"
"I don't know, Mila." Noah lied, knowing exactly who's rings they were.
Mila nodded, looking upset and just sitting there looking at her toys.
"You don't want a snack?"
"No." Mila sounded upset.
"I'm sorry, I just don't remember much." Noah kissed her head.
Noah went back to the kitchen eating his snack, Lucy had set out. After he had eaten, he finished his homework. Soon after Raf and Liv came home.
"Hey mijo." Raf kissed his head.
Raf could tell something was wrong by the way he was acting.
"What's wrong?"
"Uh, Mila asked me some questions, I didn't want to answer them and she's upset now. It's not my place to tell her."
"Tell her what, Noah?" Liv asked.
Noah looked down then back at Raf, reaching around his neck, grabbing the chain, pulling it out from beneath his shirt. The two gold bands along with the engagement ring he had given Gabby.
"Mila asked about the woman in the picture in her room, if she is her real mami and these rings. I know the story, I remember most of what happened, I just thought you would rather tell her than me." Noah said.
"Thank you, Noah for telling me." Raf hugged him.
"She also knows that the woman in the picture, is her real mami. I didn't tell."
Raf looked over at Liv, who was fighting back tears.
"Mi amor, come here."
Liv walked over and hugged Raf and Noah. After they broke the hug Noah thought he should leave his parents alone to decide what to do next. He'd also noticed that Aaron, asleep in the carrycot Lucy used to keep him with her, had started to wake up. So Noah picked up the carrycot and went into the living room to watch tv.
"You want me to go with you?" Liv asked, running her fingers through his hair.
Raf lean into her hand.
"No I need to do this alone, one on one."
"You sure?"
Raf nodded, getting up. He wrapped his arms around her.
"Love you."
"Love you, to Raf."
Raf walked back to Mila's room, the door was open.
"Mija?"
"Yeah, Papi?"
"Noah said you asked him some questions."
Mila looked down at the toy animals in her hands. Raf took a deep breath, his eye catching the picture and smiling slightly. Raf picked it up along with Mila, going over to sit on Mila's bed.
"Mila, you see these three rings?" Raf asked, running his hand along the chain and rings.
Mila nodded.
"This is your mami's wedding band and engagement ring, and this is my wedding band."
Mila stared at the three rings.
"What happened to mami?"
Raf looked away, almost 9 years later and it still hurt whenever he thought about the day Mila was born.
"She had you, then got an infection, and she passed away." Raf whispered.
Mila ran her hand around the rings. As they hung against his chest along with this cross.
"What happened after mami died? Why was I in hospital? How did you meet mami."
"What did Noah tell you?"
"All he said was that mami and he visited you and me in hospital. He said he didn't know about the rings."
"At first the doctors were worried about your lungs so they kept you in hospital for a few days. We had our own place, Liv and Noah came by a lot to help with you. Lucy kept looking after both of you when I decided to go back to work. Then eventually I started falling for Liv, we got married and had Aaron."
Mila nodded and looked up at him.
"What did she look like? The picture looks old, you look younger, was it before I was born?"
"It is, it's right after we got married. She had hazel eyes like you, you look just like her."
"What was her name?"
"Gabriela, I gave you her name as your middle name after her. We had already decided on Mila."
Mila cuddled up to him.
"Have any more questions?"
"No. I'm hungry."
"You sure?"
Mila nodded.
"Okay."
Mila ran into the kitchen, leaving Raf there for a moment. After getting up and putting the picture back he walked back to the kitchen. Later that night after Mila and Noah were in bed, and Aaron was laying on Raf's chest. His little hand clutched around the rings as Liv came to bed.
"How was your talk with Mila?"
"Okay." Raf whispered, looking at her tear in his eyes.
Liv hugged him closer.
"Want to talk about it?"
Raf shook his head. She came closer wrapping her arms around him and Aaron.
"Do you want me to put him down for the night?"
"No." He said quietly.
"Raf, please talk to me. I know you still care about Gabriella, I won't be offended if you want to talk about her. If you had forgotten her, you wouldn't be the man I fell in love with."
"I love you Liv. I really do, but part of me will always love Gabriella. It still hurts so much to think back to when I lost her...I knew that at some stage Mila would ask questions. I just didn't realize how much it would hurt. Every one of Mila's birthdays have been so hard. It's supposed to be a happy day...and it is but the memories it brings back aren't. I have to appear happy for Mila, it's not her fault her mother died. I just..." Raf sobbed quietly.
"How about, since they are all off school, we go somewhere that was special to Gabby or both you and Gabby?"
Raf thought about that,
"She'd never been to a warm beach until our honeymoon, she wanted to go to Florida, but something happened in her family and we stayed close.
Liv smiled.
"I'll plan it all out."
"What would I do without you?" Raf whispered, kissing her.
"I don't think either if us would want to know."